The Time Has Come For The Saints To Possess The Kingdom

Thank you, Bill. I do have some booklets in case you would like one. The Book of Revelation Unveiled. I brought 30 or 40. If you'd like one, I'd like you to get one because if you're going to hang with me today and tomorrow, next Sabbath, wherever. It's a very good book. Goes into great detail but makes it all clear enough so that you can understand as I do prophecy towards this time of the year. Yeah, if you want to see anybody wants one, that'll be great, Phil. Thank you.

Oh, in case you're looking while Phil's handing those out, you looked and said, hey, the pastor, he doesn't give an offering. I gave mine this morning. Mary looked at me and said, we should have split it up. But since I have like eight other churches in the Caribbean, that'd be kind of hard. So I'll try to do it at this time. So, okay, so the title of the sermon, the time has come for the saints to possess the kingdom. How about you?

The time has come for the saints to possess the kingdom of God.

Are you a saint?

You've heard people say saints, well, she's a saint. She's a saint. I never hear that much about men. He's a saint. I do hear about women, or their mothers, or their grandmothers, or this. But I ask, are you a saint? I've got more. I've got a whole box over here so we can get them for you. In Hebrew, there is a word pronounced kadesh, except it's more guttural sound. And it means holy. Holy. It's quite a few places all through the Old Testament in Hebrew. But there's another word in Greek, hagios. And it also means holy. Are we holy? What makes us holy? Because we dress nice. Maybe we smell nice. Because we took a shower, so thankful that all of you did today. But that doesn't make us holy. Only God can make us holy. And God said what day of the week was holy.

The Sabbath is holy. Nobody can make Friday holy. Nobody can make Sunday holy. Nobody can make Tuesday holy, except God did when He said seven times a year. This is a holy day. But we must ask ourselves if the saints are to possess the kingdom of God, we have to make sure that we are holy by God's definition, not our definition, not someone else's definition. Matter of fact, the dictionary definition of a saint is a person of exceptional of exceptional holiness. Well, that may take some of us out. I don't know. I know I'm holy because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within me, because God's the one that gives His Holy Spirit, that very essence of God, a very small part of God. He gave me a baptism and the laying on of hands. I'm holy. Exceptional?

Wow! I would say from the book, great expectations. That's great expectations. I never set out to be exceptionally holy. I was happy with just holy. But God expects us to what? As Christ taught about the Spirit growing. He gives many parables, and He uses examples of physical things to teach about the Holy Spirit and the growth that He desires for us as we use His very essence. It's a foundational teaching, you might say. Holiness 101. Well, first you must possess the Holy Spirit. You must ask for a gift. I didn't earn it. I can't earn it. The Bible says I can't. It's a gift. And tied to that gift, if you could wrap it up, is eternal life. Pretty big stuff. When you get into the study of theology, that's what everybody wants. Eternal life. I want to live forever. Didn't Ponce de Leon come over here because of finding the fountain of youth? Well, you find out that's just made up story is what I read now on the Internet. But then you can't believe what you read on the Internet. I grew up teaching that to me in grammar school at Ponce de Leon. I had to memorize it, put it down on a test. So until he resurrected my find out from him, I'm going to say that my teachers were right. But he would not be able to find that because only God can grant eternal life. That's kind of the blowing of the trumpet. That seventh trumpet. As I handed out to all of you, you got last week one of these as a guide. Because I like, as I say, we went through the two witnesses last week. Obviously, people saw it, listened to it because I got emails and phone calls about it this week. I said, I've never heard before. Well, I can say I like to teach Revelation, but I like to teach you like it's a steak. And you cut it up into pieces small enough to just chew on a while. Not gobble down three or four chapters at a time. That's why when I was younger in the church, I couldn't understand it anymore. Turn to the book of Revelation. So, who can understand that? And I got this going on, this going on, this going on. So, I said, let's make it simple because I usually only cover prophecy at the end of the year. At this time of the year. Meeting new season. Because I'm not one that focuses on prophecy, prophecy, prophecy. I like it. I could study it, go through it. I love the book. But, by doing surveys and talking to all of you, one thing that most people want, you just want a little meat for six days. Practical Christianity. How to live six more days until you come to the Sabbath and be fed again. It's not my job to feed you for a month or a lifetime. My job to feed you for six days. I wish some of my pastors in the past have done the same. They might have remembered more. I might have been able to chew a little bit longer.

So, today I want to look at three things from that title. That is time, saints, and kingdom. Time, saints, and kingdom. Look at my watch because I promise, no matter what, I'll be like my mentor, Fred Keller, and just stop in the middle. His watch would go off and it didn't matter if he was in the middle of a sentence. My time is done. Well, I went over time. I did 59 minutes Saturday, but I went over our time. So, I never liked to do that since I am a time Nazi. And I believe you can say it in less words and still have impact. So, let's explore this time.

What time? The time has come. Doesn't this day picture?

The blowing of the seventh trumpet. When the dead in Christ will rise. We who are alive shall be changed in a moment in a twinkling of eyes. Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15. I covered that this morning. Simple! There will be a blowing of a trumpet, the seventh trumpet. That's why I get handed out this because it's not complicated. It is if you try to jam all this stuff in at one time. But we're talking about right here. When the seventh trumpet sounds. Not talking about the seven seals that come before it. Not talking about the six trumpets that come before that. Talking about the seventh trumpet. When we should be excited if we're a follower of Christ. If He is our Savior, if He is our Lord and King, then that's what happens.

There's a change. And as I talked about this morning, boy, do I like that change? I don't know about you guys, but there are some things I want to change. I want God to change when I'm a spirit being that I don't have to contend with anymore. I'll never get hungry, but I can eat if I want. I'll never gain a pound, and there's some food I've been waiting to eat.

I don't have to worry about pain because nothing can kill me. I can go as high as I want. I can dive down in the ocean as deep as I want to.

I can go all the way to the bottom. I can find sponges at the bottom of the ocean, three miles deep.

Do anything we want to do. And it starts with the blowing of the seventh trumpet. It's how big it is. But are we inquisitive about this new life that we are promised? Hopefully we are. That's why we go to Feast of Tabernacles. We find this out every year. But I'd like you to go with me to the book of Daniel. This will not be an all-comprehensive study of Daniel. Just some things that I like to go over.

As we set up this. In Daniel 12, we get to the end of the book.

Daniel 12, verse 4. I think I'm reading from the New King James Version. Yes, it is a New King James Version. So Daniel wanted to know, as God showed him in the first few verses, what's going to happen? He tells him about the first resurrection, the second resurrection, and third resurrection. Right there! Right there! Oh, there he goes. Wow! I love this! Those who were sleeping in the dust of the earth shall wake. Some do everlasting life, some to shame, and some to everlasting contempt. And Daniel wanted to know more. Man, wouldn't you, if you were given this vision? Because he'd already been given all incredible visions of past rulers and the end of the time and everything else. And then he comes to verse 4. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Is that now?

Huh? I've got a yes. Yes? Do we understand everything so far in the book? Uh-uh. So it ain't the time of the end. Okay? Just like the two witnesses we talked about last week. I know a few of you wanted to be one until you found out their destiny. All right? But we didn't. We didn't on Saturday. We don't know who they are, right? Okay? Will we know who they are when they're here? Oh, yes. Yes. As I gave Saturday. Yes. So time of the end? Not yet. We're 1990 years closer than this, or more like 1940 years when the book of Revelation was written. But let's finish this. The book, until the time of the end, many shall run to and fro. I don't know where fro is. I've been all over Florida and haven't found fro. And knowledge shall increase. Has knowledge increased? Yeah. Oh, wow. What was his name? I can't remember. I used to know that. It's the top of my head. That whoever this guy was, I can't remember his name. He did the study of history and so forth and projected this and said that for the last few centuries, knowledge doubled every 100 years until the time of about 1925 to 1930. And at that time, knowledge doubled every 100 years. Knowledge started doubling every 25 years.

In 1982 to 1983, the same think tank put this together, said by 1982 to 1985, knowledge was doubling every 12 years. Was that a big change?

In the year 2008, they said knowledge is doubling every 12 months. Every 12 months. And their prediction in the next 10 years is that knowledge, the knowledge that the world has will double every 13 hours.

We don't know. We don't know. But you see, we're sharing knowledge and it's going everywhere. So where are we headed? We're headed where this book is telling us.

Daniel thought it might be great. They rode on horses.

He got a vision of some of the other things.

And knowledge shall increase.

Verse 5, Then I, Daniel, looked and there stood two on one on the riverbank and the other.

And one said to the man, Cloth, and Lenin, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? Like, don't we ask? When's this going to end? I thought in 1997 that 2000 would put me there. And everybody said, Ooh, Y2K.

Didn't we all store stuff up? Man, we still got stuff in Tennessee we stored.

So, people have always wondered, What is this? Then I heard a man, Cloth, and Lenin, who was above the waters when he held up his right hand and the left hand, and swore by him who lives forever, There shall be for a time's, time's, and half a time's, as we understand, three and a half years. And when the powers of the holy people shall, has been completely shattered, Doesn't sound too great, does it? Holy? Who's he talking about? Whoa!

Holy people, haggios, Kadesh, his people, that's us. Whoo! All these things shall be finished. Well, isn't that what we want? We want the kingdom, we all had and get here. Just don't give me too much pain. All right? Let's not have too much suffering. Let's look at this thing, and let's look at that number fifth seal, and it says, Tribulation. Let's all, can we keep that to a minimum? Does that have to be three and a half years? No. Persecution, can we keep that to a minimum? Let's just, can't we just jump into the kingdom? Can't we just be raised when the seventh trumpet, yes, just die. Go ahead and die.

My father's dead. He'll hear the trumpet. Raised. Mary's father died a year ago. He'll be there. Her mother died 40 years ago.

Yeah. Is that a nice place of safety itself, the grave? Oh, probably so. Will be for my dad.

So let's go here. Although I heard I did not understand, then I said, My Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go your way, Daniel. Go. For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. We're not going to understand all these things. It's not meant for us to. Is there enough for us to understand what we need to understand now? Well, yeah. Yep. It surely is. There's enough that we can know what's going to go on. But we're not ready to color the... We have the outline. It's just like one of those books you get to color. And all the outlines that you just have to color it in. Well, about half of it or more is colored in. The rest of the coloring is going to take place very quickly. You're going to be able to pick up your crayon. You're going to be able to finish.

But you'll know it. And I'll know it. As God wants us to know it. Verse 13. Verse 13. So here he wants to know again. Oh, I need to know this. He says, But you, Daniel, go your way till the end. For you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.

And he will. And some of us sitting in this room may very well. And that may be the ultimate gift God can give us. Because there is going to be persecution. Now, one of the things you must learn if I think it is George Santiana once said those who failed to learn from the lessons of the past are doomed to repeat it. Talking about history. You have studied the history, you realize that the persecution came mostly on the leaders in the church. That means we pastors and people like that are going to get it first. Anybody want to be a deacon elder?

Don't look at that. We look at what the job is, and Stephen was able to take it. He was a deacon. Peter was an elder. He was able to take it. So unless you see me running and screaming down 95, I plan on doing what my job is because we are all in God's hands. It is probably just as dangerous to drive on 95 as it is what is going to come up ahead for most of us. Because God never tests you beyond what you can stand.

All He wants is us in His kingdom. All He wants is you in His kingdom. And He's going to do everything in His power to get you there. So let us, with the time I have left, and that is 20-30 minutes, I'll give you time so we can end on time to lead the last song. Unless you've got a long-winded prayer, we'll do this. So let us take a trip in time so that we can see into the future. Remember that movie, Back to the Future? Well, that's kind of what we're going to do here. I'd like you to go back with me to Daniel 7. Daniel 7, as he covers a lot of stuff, and I will probably zoom through this more, and you'll probably have questions and so forth like that. But I'd like to go into that so that you can understand. And I'd like to, because it's so loaded, it's a detailed chapter. In case you're wondering, the Great Sea is a Mediterranean Sea, in case you have a question. Well, let's go to Daniel 7, verse 7, and this is the new King James Version. Daniel 7, verse 7. After this I saw in the night visions a behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had a huge iron teeth. It was devouring, breaking into pieces, trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the other beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. Talking about an end-time power. As God symbolically teaches this, it's not for everybody to understand. He doesn't care that most don't understand this. I remember when I was a kid, I was nine or ten, and we went to this church. I don't remember where it was, somewhere in Tennessee, and this guy got up and he preached, and he said, somebody this week has asked me about the Book of Revelation. We don't do Revelation. It's in the Bible, but it's the writings of a crazy man on an island who got old and seen out. I remember that well because that was the last time we went there. My dad said, I don't know much about the Bible, but I know that ain't right.

So we see this stuff, and so he's talking about, and that's why I handed out those books, because I don't want to take the time when you can read it. It explains it quite clearly. I just want to hit the high points. I don't have, if I gave one on Revelation, it would take me two years to cover Revelation in detail as it needs to be covered. Verse 8, I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them before whom three of the first horns were plucked out of its roots. And there in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking pompous words. Very pompous words. Okay, because he's talking about the earlier the four beasts, the four ruling empires, and it comes down to the last one of Rome. But then let it go to verse 9, because he's seen all this. He's seen all the paths through the symbolic, and then he's going to see into the future. But what's important, he can see heaven and earth at this time, this incredible vision that Daniel's been given. And then, one of those things, in verse 9, he says, I watched till thrones were put in place, and the who? Ancient of days, another name for God the Father. Okay, we're not talking about Yahshua. We're not talking about the Word who would become flesh. We're talking about the Ancient of days here. And the ancient days were seated, and his garment was white as snow, and his hair of his head was like pure wool, like Jeff's gray hair back there. He's got a little whiter than mine. He got a few years on me. And his throne was a fiery flame, which you can read about in Isaiah and Ezekiel. You can go through there. I won't go through that. And came forth from before him a thousands, thousands ministered to him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were what? Open. No laptop. This is the future. God doesn't have a laptop. He's not an apple guy. Okay. He doesn't have that. The books, the book of life is going to be opened up of those who are in there. We see that in Revelation also. Revelation 20 verse 12. You can see the books were open. The books that you're going to be judged by are the books of the Bible. Scrolls as it was back then. You're going to be judged by what's in there. But then he's got another book. And it's called the book of life. And when you become him and he when you become his and he gives you his Holy Spirit, your name is then written in the book of life.

That's why I love Psalm 139. It tells that, and I'll give a whole sermon on that sometime. But here, this court is in place, and that's who controls the world. He's looking and saying, well, wait a minute, you've got this power over here and this power over here. Wait a minute, these nations and what's going on? It doesn't matter. We can have Donald Trump. We can have Biden. We can have Hillary Clinton. We can have Joe Blow. The president doesn't matter. God's got this. He's still in charge. And so nothing's going to happen that he doesn't allow to happen. Otherwise, he's not a sovereign and you're worshiping a God that's not what you thought he was. Right? Am I wrong about that? Well, let's look. So here, the court's taking place. You know how you talk about a Supreme Court? This is the Supreme Court. This is the Supreme Court because there's anybody—you can't appeal this. You can't have judges or lawyers come up and say, I want to argue that point. No. This is it. This is what God does. That's what's so amazing about this day. The Trump—see, we go from here, ow, ow, to know-ow, to spirit beings, to being with God, watching, seeing the judgment, understanding everything. In 1 John 3, too, when Christ comes, we will see Him as He is because we will be like Him. Him. What is He like? He's omniscient. That's all knowing. You want to be all knowing? I'd kind of like that. Scripture. That's how big this day is. That's what's being promised. Let's go for a—whoa, look at my time. But here, ten thousand times ten thousands and thousands and thousands. Let's put also in Revelation when He's seated. Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands and thousands. You realize that's millions, millions if not billions of angels right there watching?

That's a big court.

The books were open. Your name is going to be there? It is unless you take it out, or unless He takes it out.

He doesn't want to. Verse 11.

Well, yeah, read Psalm 139 sometime. I don't have time to cover it now. I'll give a whole sermon on it another time because that's such empowering things. In verse 11, we have to move on out. Let's move another one in.

As he said earlier, we have Greece with Alexander the Great. His kingdom was divided into four. You know the story. I mean, it's all out there. It's history if you don't.

They were only there for a time. In verse 13, I was watching in the night vision and behold, one like the Son of Man. The Son of Man wasn't... Where was He? Where was He? Okay. Who was He? The Son of Man. This is, what, Daniel 500 years before... 600 years before Jesus Christ came as a man. But one like the Son of Man... He couldn't tell. He's glorified. He just looked like a man. Like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven, He came to the ancient of days. Who's that? It's one of the few places in the Bible where it shows the Word and the Father. God, the Father, and the Word. There's two. And there's not some little mini me running around called the Holy Spirit. Okay? Can't find Him anywhere in here. Not a person. But there's these two. They control all the power. They have it all.

Psalm 110, verse 1 and 2. Don't have to turn there. Write it down. Psalm 2 and verse 7. Just further proof that there's two. Two, two. That's what it shows. Not three. Two of like-mind. Like these two here are of one. Okay? People have a hard time with that. Well, wait a minute. God says there's only one. Well, we're one. He tells us to be one with this. Have to look that Hebrew and Greek word up if you want a good study. Okay, verse 13. He came to the ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion. Does anybody need to know what everlasting means?

I had a minister tell me somebody raised his hand one time. He said, you need to know what everlasting means? And he goes, can you tell me what that means? Can you define that? And he goes, yeah, you're going to live forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. Tell me when you want to stop.

That's how long forever is. There is no end. That's his dominion, everlasting dominion. We shall not pass away in his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. It's an eternal kingdom, an everlasting kingdom. Isaiah 9 verse 6 through 7. I don't think I even gave you that one, Jeff, because that just popped in my head. Did I? No, I didn't. OK, I didn't think I did. Oh, just to give you something to think about. Let's go there. I'll go there quickly. Isaiah 9. You'll hear this at the feast, but sometimes it'll go right over you because you'll hear some of this. But I want you to think about this. OK, verse 6. For unto us a child was born unto us, his son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called one for counsel, almighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. And here we go. Here's eternity. OK, and tell me how this is going to work. OK, use your minds and think about this next week. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Of the increase of his government and peace. That means there will never be an end to this kingdom. It's going to go on forever and ever and ever. How does it go on forever and ever? How do you increase it if we're all spirit beings? Tell me that.

For a government must have a kingdom, must have laws, and must have subjects.

Think about it. This is such a powerful scripture. Of the increase of his government and peace, increase, it's going to go on forever. It's going to grow. How's it going to happen?

For all spirit beings, which we will not have intercourse.

Dwell on that one. Let's go back to Daniel. OK.

All right, so then we come to verse 15. You have 15 up there? Did I skip? No, verse 18. Thank you. But let me go to 18. So we see that all these kingdoms are going to be there, and you see even how bad it gets. And we're about to see a little bit of that now as we begin to wrap this up because he says all these four kingdoms came about, but then the end one will be worse before that's going to take over the entire world.

OK, the beast. It's actually called two beasts. There are two beasts. I'll go into that next week in Fort Lauderdale. The two beasts in you. But here it says in verse 18, But the saints of the most high shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever and ever. That's what we will have. That all starts with what this day represents. You can't get there until you get changed or raised from the dead at the seventh trumpet.

So you can't have eternal life till you get there. We're not there yet. So where are we? In the process of making sure we're holy. You're holy. You stay holy. You will be there at the change. You will be there forever and ever. Not hard to see. Verse 19. I think you've got 19. You've got 19 or do you? Next one is 22. I skipped all that because Daniel saw this terrible dreadful beast at the end and he does all this and he trampled everything and the religious power that rides on top of it and he spoke pompous words whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

I was watching the same horn which was the religious power at time was making war against the saints prevailing against them and then we come to verse 22. So guess what? We're in tribulation. Daniel can't get over this. God showed him this. He jumps here and then he wants to jump right back into that fourth beast because it's just like, oh, it's so much.

Never seen anything like it and he was in Babylon, a world power and he was at the top there in Babylon. He knew what warriors were. He was like, uh-uh, this is not like anything else. Verse 22. Let's go verse 21. He said, I was watching and the same horn was making war against the saints. Who? The saints. Who are we? The saints. What time is it? Time of the end and prevailing against them until what? The Ancient of Days came.

And a judgment. Remember the seat? Remember they're sitting there. They're in control of everything. He's sitting there. The word is with him, but the Ancient of Days controls everything. And a judgment was made in favor of the, ah, ah, ah, don't you want to be those saints? I want to be those saints. I want to call out, Father, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Father, Father, Father, Father, I'm there, made favor of the saints of the Most High. And the time came for the saints to, to what? Possess the kingdom of God. Possess the kingdom of God. I think they did 27 now. No, 20 there? I went on down there.

Okay. That's what he says. The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth which shall be different from all the others and should devour the whole earth, trample it, and break it into pieces. Ten horns or ten kings. This is what he's explaining. Daniel wanted to know, so he's going to tell you this is what it means because he was singing all these, all these things.

Who shall rise from the kingdom and others shall rise with them. He shall be different from the first ones and shall subdue three kings and he shall speak pompous words against the Most High shall persecute the saints of the Most High and shall intend to change times and laws. You got the New Living Translation which I like. Do we have times and laws up there on 25? Do you have New Living Translation 25? I see 25. Oh yeah! Change the sacred festivals. This is from linguists who write for the New Living Translation, not some religious.

And so he will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. Most holy? Remember what we need to be? He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws. You're going to worship on this day, not the day you want to worship on.

And they will be placed under his control for what? Times, times, and half a times. And the court shall, but the court shall be seated. Here, how many times does he have to say that? Here he said it three times because Daniel was upset and we would be too, except he was saying, God's got this! God's in charge! We need to understand that so we don't have any fear. No fear. But the court was seated and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdoms and dominion and the greatest of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all the dominions shall serve and obey him. Are we ready? Are we ready to do this? Go with me to Psalm, Psalm 50, Psalm 50. Psalm 50, verse 4 through 5. He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth, he may judge his people.

Gather my saints together to me. We need, we are his saints. So when he gathers us together, we need to be there, brother. Every single one of us, saints, holy people, holy holy people. I have given you a quick view today of that because here's a holy day. And you understand why this holy day, why this is the first of four holy days. See, we must understand as I'm working to lay on a feast thing.

The first three holy days of the year, they've been fulfilled, haven't they? Christ fulfilled them with the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given. Isn't that amazing? And that's what Old Testament Israel was given. Just do this. Just hold on to my law. Just have a nation that the Messiah can come to. And when he came, I didn't even recognize him. I didn't even know who he was except for his people.

But he finished, finished, on Pentecost. We, as spiritual Israel, as the New Covenant Israel, we are in the same place they were as we now have before us. Finish the work. Prepare the temple. And where's the temple of God? First Corinthians 3, First Corinthians 6. Finish the temple so Christ can finish his work.

And this wonderful feast of trumpets starts out the fulfillment of those final four. A time when the trumpet will sound and we will be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye. And after that, the marriage supper. Another sermon, another time.